Page shut down without warning, Erik Lowry says

Erik Lowry, owner of Pittsburgh Tactical Firearms in McKeesport, said he’s losing thousands of dollars per day since Facebook shut down his business page. He told Channel 4 Action News that he believes his page was targeted because of misinformation in a recent article.

Lowry found out Friday morning that his page was shut down when his phone started ringing from fans wanting to know what happened. He said he received a message from Facebook saying the page was deactivated, but didn’t give an explanation.

“You know, most pages get warnings. We didn't even get a warning. It was just gone,” Lowry said.

More than 27,000 people are fans of his page and it’s where he announces ammunition, gun and gear giveaways, but Lowry said a recent article had misinformation about his giveaway practices and he believes that is why Facebook shut his page down.

“People were thinking if you won, I was just going to send a gun to your front door. It just doesn't work that way,” Lowry said. “If you win a firearm from us, you come to the store, and as long as you pass a background check, you walk out with your gun.”

Lowry said the same rules apply if a winner is out-of-state. Winners must pass background check and records are kept.

Lowry said he has been trying to push updates on his sister-page “Miss Pittsburgh Tactical” since his page was shut down, but its roughly 2,000 fans are not nearly the reach he is used to.

The company’s largest firearm giveaway was planned for Sunday, offering an AR-15 rifle and protective gear valued at $10,000. Lowry said he is concerned because donors might start pulling some prizes.

For now, the giveaway is on hold until the Facebook page problem is sorted out. Lowry said he hopes more fans will join his appeal to Facebook.